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VISI0>I5 




tDlTH m,RGO /INDREWS 






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Class 

Book 



CXffYRIGRT DEPOSm 



BY 
EDITH FARGO ANDREWS 




BOSTON 

SHERMAN, FRENCH & COMPANY 

1917 







Copyright, 1917 
Sherman, French 6» Company 



SEP 24 1917 



PC!,A473645 

'Wo I * 



TO 

THE MEMORY OF 

MY MOTHER 



Our tokens of love are, for the most part, 
barbarous ; cold and lifeless, because they do 
not represent our life. The only gift is a 
portion of thyself. Therefore, let the 
farmer give his corn; the miner, a gem; 
the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his 
picture; the poet, his poem. 

Emersok's " Essays." 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Which? i 

Spring — Out There, 1917 .... 2 

Indian Summer 3 

Compassion 4 

To A Friendship 5 

My Guardian Angel 6 

The Transformation 10 

The Tribute .11 

Faith 12 

Harmony . 13 

St. John's Eve, by the Sea 14 

The Voice of Twilight 15 

Longing 16 

Our Former Lives 18 

The Lull 19 

Phantasy 20 

The Sea of Silence 22 

Separation 24 

A Dream Shape 25 

Halcyon Days 27 

The Road That Leads to Thee ... 28 

The Pistol of Gavrio Prinzep . . . . 30 

Adagio 32 

At Break of Day 33 

To the Future 34 

The Blind Poet 35 

Re-creation 38 

An Afternoon 39 

Reminiscences 40 

The Song of the Paddle 41 

Music 42 

The Song of Life and Love .... 44 

The Crossroads of Time 45 

The Answer 47 

After 49 



PAGE 

June Song ......... 51 

Exiles 52 

On a Summer Night 54 

The Sunset of Life 55 

Silence 56 

The Moon 57 

A Desert Rhapsody 58 

Speed Mania 59 

Phantoms . . . . 60 

The Flowers of Fate 62 

The Eternal Melody 63 

To Thee 64 

November . . . . . . . . . .65 

The Call 66 

The Music of the World 67 

Suppose 68 

Somewhere . 69 

Soliloquy 70 

At Evensong 71 

Your Question 72 

Requiem 73 

Allah 74 

Just You 75 

A Tribute 76 

My Wishes 77 

The Flowers of Time 78 

Rest 79 

The Hill o' Dreams 80 



VAGRANT VISIONS 



WHICH? 

If thou couldst take 

Some moment of thy past, 

One moment — 

Perfect, fleeting — 

That is all; 

When thy zenith vast 

Of earthly joys 

Seemed to have been reached; 

When thy power for 

And wisdom of 

Life's exquisite 

Seemed to be attained, 

Laid at thy feet; 

And by a wish 

Thou then couldst bid 

That glimpse of heaven, 

That molecule of Time, 

Be fixed and made eternal; 

Out of all Life's sorrows, 

Joys, pains and pleasures — 

Which 

Wouldst thou choose 

To have made permanent? 



[1] 



SPRING — OUT THERE 
1917 

Spring has travelled round the world and 
come again to stir the heart 

Where dying is a gallant art — where shrap- 
nel banners are unfurled. 

Behind the bitter battle lines, behind the un- 

thawed barricades 
And through ear-splitting cannonades — 

through all the bullets^ seething whines 

They hear the mellow step of May; through 
strident streams of hurtling lead 

They hear her lissom, eager tread; they feel 
refreshed beneath her sway. 

She bends above a lonely grave — forgot in 

victVy's sudden joy, 
A lonely mother's only boy; — spring leaves 

a kiss, and wave on wave 

Of murmuring grass and fragrant blooms 
make this into a wayside shrine — 

The lad's red blood, the holy wine — the In- 
cense from their rich perfumes. 



[2] 



INDIAN SUMMER 

AN IDYLL 

Atmosphere hazy, 
Languorous breeze, 
Warm, calm weather, 
Coloring trees; 
Clouds, soft, ivory, 
Skies of strange blue, 
A smouldering sun — 
A day; — with you! 



[3] 



COMPASSION 

There is ever a joy 

That is born 

Of human grief; 

Each thought's tomb 

Bears a flower that adds 

Its beauty to the desolation; 

Else why cross the cold 

And dear dead hands — 

Symbolic? 

Why strew relentless waves 

With blooms 

Unless all woe 

Is lightened by compassion? 



[*] 



TO A FRIENDSHIP 

// / were /, and you were you. 

As others say is so, 
This bit of verse would he in vain — 

But they are wrong, we know. 

For I am you, and you are I — 
And that's the splendid thing! 

For in your eyes my daydreams shine 
And from my heart you sing. 

My wishes and my hopes are yours, 

In friendship we are one; 
There is no question of farewell — 

Our journey's just begun. 

And though you are not always near, 

I am not left afar; 
Your spirit seems to be with me — 

And mine is where you are. 

// / were /, and you were you, 

As others say is so, 
This bit of verse would be in vain — 

But they are wrong, we know. 



[5] 



MY GUARDIAN ANGEL 

Once 

I sat dreaming, long ago, 

Beneath an arbor 

Where the glow 

Of God's great sunset 

Lit the vines, 

Tinting grapes and columbines, 

Enveloping the vales and hills, 

Blushing on a streamlet's rills — 

When slowly sank the day 

In sleep : 

And I — alone — 

Mid silence deep. 

Was filled with wonder and with awe 

As, coming up the path, I saw 

Your form, familiar. 

As of old 

And heard your voice 

Of molten gold. 

Spellbound I sat 

While on you came — 

You softly, slowly breathed — 

My name ! 

I thought that my last earthly day 

Had come — I quickly knelt to pray; 

When on my lowered head 

You placed 

Your cooling hand. 



I rose and faced 

You, took you in my arms to hear : 

*' You see, I've come back 

To you, dear, 

'Tween lights of day 

And twilight's haze. 

To help and guide you through the maze 

Of life. 

It is not what it seems, 

'Tis but a labyrinth 

Of dreams! 

Although I've passed 

From earthly eyes, 

I still am yours in paradise; 

* Until death us do part,' they say, 

In such a weakly, human way. 

From this day forth 

You're not alone — 

From life, through death, 

Our love has grown. 

Your guardian angel I shall be 

Forever — through eternity. 

Whenever you are lonely, dear. 

Remember — I am always near; 

My hands will soothe you 

When you rest. 

Your head soft-pillowed on my breast. 

Then, 

When your grave is filled 



And passed 

And you are safe with me — 

At last — 

All heartaches, longings, 

Scars and tears 

Shall fade into the mist of years. 

Close by you on your daily way. 

Where'er you are, 

There will I stay 

To help you o'er Life's mountains steep 

And guide you through the valleys deep. 

And now ■■ — I go — 

But you must wait 

The call of God — - 

Dear Heart, 'tis Fate ! " 

So saying, 

From my arms you crept 

Before my very eyes. 

I wept 

And realized 'twas but a dream; 

But in the west 

You left a gleam 

Of life to come and strange delight; 

I wandered on 

Until the night 

Spread out her wond'rous sable cloak. 

With outstretched arms, 

I softly spoke 

Your name unto the passing breeze — 

When lo, 

[8] 



There whispered through the trees 

Your voice I 

It sounded rich and deep 

And soothed me 

Into blessed sleep. — 

A wistful prayer 

Surged in my heart 

That I might learn 

To do my part, 

That I might grow 

More worthy of 

Thy lavish and immortal love ! 

Sweet memories of you 

Came to me 

And lulled me — 

Like a wind at sea ; 

I felt your presence 

Everywhere, 

A peace that was beyond compare ! 

E'en though death's chasm's 

Gaunt and great, 

Not even that can separate 

Us ; through the years 

Our love endures, 

For you are mine 

And I — am yours I, 



[»] 



THE TRANSFORMATION 

I NEVER knew how love came ; 

I only know that naught's the same; 

The springtime's glowing fields are fairer 

And the joy of living rarer — 

I know not how it came. 

I never knew when love came ; 
I only know the sun's warm flame 
Is brighter now — the stars more soft, 
The trees and winds now sing more oft; 
I know not when it came. 

I never knew why love came ; 

I only know life holds an aim 

More lofty for me now; above, 

Below — -the whole earth dreams of love — 

I know now why it came ! 



[10] 



THE TRIBUTE 

If you have had 

One happiness In life, 

You are forever past 

The pale of grief, 

Deep and caustic. 

For he 

Who has been glad, 

E'en though It be 

But once, can bravely face 

The Reaper; 

For Time, 

Like the woman he loves. 

Has paid him sweet tribute 

And given him joy. 



[11] 



FAITH 

By all the signs of heaven and earth 
I know you'll come tonight ; 
The smiling moon has risen fair 
To guide you with her light. 

A star streams through the bending sky; 
A trail of light, the mark 
Of Love's bright fingertips, is left — 
A splendid, silver arc. 

Such cool and eager sounds I hear 
About me everywhere, 
The step of tiny roses climbing 
Up the trellis stair. 

Amidst this wondrous depth of night 
I hearken — once — again ! 
I count your footsteps as you come — 
My faith was not in vain ! 



[12] 



' HARMONY 

For all the world's in tune, my dear, 
A melody comes from the trees, 
I hear the song of a trickling brook, 
A rhapsody floats on the breeze. 

But the sweetest music of all, my dear. 
Is the symphony of love 
As it comes down to us through the air 
From the choir of stars above I 



[13] 



ST. JOHN^S EVE, BY THE SEA 

Life is going on before mine eyes 
While I am here alone. From former years 
A bygone melody of smiles and tears 
Comes drifting through the midnight of the 

skies. 
Truant memories of the past arise, 
Of vain regret, of mighty pain, of fears, 
But now. Fate soothes my heart and there ap- 
pears 
Naught but a blessed peace that glorifies 
Each thing it touches; e'en the summer sea 
Is stilling all the little waves that dance. 
It seems as though some splendid mystery 
Might be revealed to me where'er I glance. 
For o'er the earth and sky — Infinity 
Sweeps with its vast, illegible Romance ! 



[14] 



THE VOICE OF TWILIGHT 

From the throats of hurtling birds 
And the hearts of popples gay, 
From the reddened roses' folds 
Comes a song from far away. 
From the ragged turf on the cliff 
And the curling stream in the glen, 
From the sandy, moistened sea-edge 
Comes a voice to me now and again. 

'Tis the voice of the dizzy highlands. 
Singing to shepherds and sheep, 
'Tis the lullaby of the meadows 
As they soothe the grass to sleep. 
This threnody of twilight 
Enweaves a mystic spell. 
The lake sings to the pine trees — 
The sea — ? to an echoing shell ! 



[15] 



LONGING 

(Written anonymously by a Russian serf to a lady of the 

nobility.) 

As a flower made drunken 
By the sun, 

Swaying in the tawny light's embrace, 
I look far, far above me 
Where lives your heart, 
Your soul that I do long for 
Most of all. 
Like a meager weed 
That's hidden low 
By all the splendors 
Of a gaudy rose, 
I watch you as you pass 
Along the way that leads 
Beyond my modest biding place. 
Your cheeks are tinged 
As are the clouds at blush of day; 
The color of your hair is claimed 
By earth; while the sea. 
Emerald at midday, lends 
Its deep enchantment 
To your quiet eyes. 
As the blossom towards the sun 
Does turn. 
From the lucent east 
Unto the livid west. 
So do mine eyes follow 
[16] 



Where'er you go, 
Mine arms outstretched 
Like wistful, pleading leaves 
Mine heart laid bare 
Awaiting your caress I 



[17] 



OUR FORMER LIVES 

I DO not know whatever I was, 
Or where I lived or when, 
I feel that you and I, though. 
Were one when living then. 

How oft I've watched your subtle face 
And known I've loved and lost. 
Because there's something I recall 
From ages passed and crossed. 

In this long life I've been debarred 
From any hope of you. 
Your smile is always bleak to me, 
Your heart as chill as dew. 

But everyone forgets the lives 
That have been lived before. 
Our God is kind and heals our hearts — 
He closes Memory's door! 



[18] 



THE LULL 

O'er sand-strewn stretches, 

Warm and smooth, 

The tired wind^s adream; 

The daylights fade 

And die away 

In one last fleeting gleam. 

The seaweed sways 

In currents young. 

White silence fills the seas; 

The sea-snakes coll 

Their shining mail — 

The sun floats past the trees. 



ti»] 



PHANTASY 

The filmy night is laced with gleams, 
With truant echoes of the streams 
Wandering in the deepening glades 
And chanting woodland serenades — 
The sun sinks with a sigh. 

Far o'er the lake's soft rhythmic crest 
I glide alone ; there in the west 
The fragments of a splendid day 
Are mirrored in the brilliant bay — 

One star sweeps through the sky. 

Beyond the world-edge floats a cloud, 
And there entwined as in a shroud 
Lie all my hopes and my desires, 
Their dross consumed by heavenly fires 
That flare up clear and bright. 

Wee ripples tinkle on the shore, 
Sink back again to rise once more ; 
So do my daydreams soar or fall. 
Some shattered far beyond recall 
In memory's hurried flight. 

A plashing sound, a glimpse of white. 
And through the darkness of the night 
I feel that you are drawing near. 
And then, your voice I seem to hear 
Upon the starlit wind. 
[20] 



I dimly see you standing there, 
The moonlight glinting on your hair, 
Your arms outstretched — I hasten on, 
The spell is broken — you are gone 
And I — am left behind I 



[21] 



THE SEA OF SILENCE 

My voyage through life 
Is a voiceless one 
Over a silent sea, 
No whirl of wind 
Past the flapping sails 
Nor of storm-bound waves set free; 
But here, 
And there. 

And everywhere. 
Are sparkling motions, 
Lithe and fleet ■ — • 
I see the sound 
Where breakers meet ! 

The soft companionship 
Of peace. 

Two kindred souls between. 
Is nearest heaven 
Here on earth 
And brings a joy serene; 
But oh! 
The loss 

When far across 
Love's vista glides 
A perfect word 
That only can be guessed — 
Not heard I 

[22] 



Shared laughter warms 
A lonely heart 
In need of sympathy — 
White silence reigns 
O^er all supreme 
Upon my soundless sea ; 
Nor Time, 
Nor Art, 

Can e'er Impart 
Life's music to 
My longing ear; 
I feel its cadence — ; 
Yearn to hear! 

Though much is thus 
Denied me on 
My voyage, stilled. 
Through life, 
I ne'er have heard 
Men's dull complaints. 
Nor angry words nor strife; 
So I 
Rejoice 

The only voice 
That In my heart 
Rings true and clear 
Is God's great love. 
And that — I hear I 



[23] 



SEPARATION 

Relentless, unyielding 

As oceans, opaque, 

There are vast, trackless mountains 

That screen us; 

And, instead of subduing. 

Increase the soulache 

By their o'erwhelming presence 

Between us. 



[24] 



A DREAM SHAPE 

By a star-white birch that held a gleam 
I gathered wildflowers in a dream, 
And shaped a woman, whose sweet blood 
Was the odor of the wildwood bud. 

I took the chanting of the breeze 
And water whispering through the trees. 
And shaped the soul that breathed below 
A woman's blossom breasts of snow. 

From dew, the starlight arrowed through, 
I wrought a woman's eyes of blue, 
The lids, like jasmine 'neath the moon. 
Were rose-pale petals born of June. 

Out of the woodland and the air 
I wrought the glory of her hair 
That o'er her eyes' blue heaven lay 
Like some deep cloud o'er dawn of day. 

Out of a rosebud's veins I drew 
The mellow crimson beating through 
Her fragrant lips, whose soft caress 
Filled all my soul with tenderness. 

A shadow's shadow in the glass 
Of sleep, my spirit saw her pass; 
And, thinking of it now, meseems 
We only live within our dreams. 

[26] 



For in that time she was to me 

More real than our reality, 

More real than earth — more real than I 

The unreal things that pass — and die ! 



[26] 



HALCYON DAYS 

With water-emeralds softly glinting, 
The streaming river whirls and bends 

Past feathered ferns and waving grasses 
Then, with the skyline faintly blends. 

Glistening paths of cool green mosses 
Trace the riVer's gleaming brink; 

All the water blossoms shimmer, 
Pure and scented, white and pink. 

Freshening winds sweep o'er the lowlands 
Near the swaying, shadowed sedge; 

Trees bend forward with caresses. 
Leaning from the water's edge. 

Halcyon days remain forever. 

Time and Tide are stilled, meseems. 

Here there's neither gloom nor tumult — 
All the world's aflood with dreams ! 



[27] 



THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO THEE 

MORNING 

When dawn-lights glint 
Through willow-woods 
Far in the quivering east, 

The bold road, 

The strolled road. 
Lures on when night has ceased; 
The one I oft have trod alone 
Across the meadows three, 

The old road, 

The gold road, 
The road that leads to thee. 

NOON 

The high-noon haze 
Enfolds the earth, 
White-stretched beneath the heat. 

The sun road. 

The shun road. 
Winds on through swirling wheat; 
The one I oft have trod alone 
Across the meadows three. 

The run road. 

The one road. 
The road that leads to thee. 



[S8] 



NIGHT 

Adown a glen, 
Through crooked paths, 
On to the burning west, 

The team road. 

The stream road. 
The one that finds me rest; 
The one each eve I tread alone 
Across the meadows three. 

The gleam road, 

The dream road, 
The road that leads — to thee ! 



[29] 



THE PISTOL OF GAVRIO PRINZEP 

(Suggested by a brief article in " Life.") 

The pistol of Gavrio Prinze p — 
Where was that weapon made? 
Whose were the intriguing fingers 
That fashioned it, undismayed? 

Where lurked a spark of war's cruel flame, 
One day a royal couple came ; 
And in that selfsame tiny town 
There came a youth who said a crown 
Was but the symbol of a greed 
For wealth and power past all need. 
Within dark schools of hate heM dwelt 
And, all engulfed in hate, he felt 
Resentment, strong revolt. And taught 
That e'en his country's soul was bought. 
Oppressed; his reason failed — he drew 
A weapon lithe, and then — he slew. 

I wonder — If In aeons past 

When all was new and strange and vast, 

Before their birth primordial 

The unwrought leaden fragments, small. 

Had dreams fantastic as they lay 

Enmeshed within a clot of clay? 

Before they paused within the hands 

Of youth, and while the brimming sands 

[30] 



Of Time were pouring In Its glass 
All of those burning years — alas, 
I wonder — • If those atoms knew 
The ghastly work they were to do ? 

Meseems It would not be amiss 

If now a weapon such as this 

(Like Shelley^s heart, or e'en the dust 

Of some anarchic saint) may rust 

Beneath a limpid crystal shade ; 

That through the ages, unafraid, 

All men may come and see It there — 

Impotent token of despair 

And all the horrors, red, of war 

Of which It was ambassador : 

No force divine, let It be said. 

E'er moulded that death dealing lead I 

The pistol of Gavrio Prinzep — 
Where was that weapon made? 
Whose were the intriguing fingers 
That fashioned it, undismayed? 



[31] 



ADAGIO 

Rainbow brilliant, 

Sunset bright, 

All the world does now forgive ; 

Lambent shadows, 

Darkening light, 

Stars the storm allowed to live. 

Virgin evening. 

Cooling streams, 

Night of velvet-tinted skies; 

Dusky hazes. 

Moonlit gleams. 

Glinting with a thousand eyes. 

Silent, thoughtful, 

Calm, serene. 

All the tired world's at peace ; 

Then Aurora 

Sinks unseen — 

Day's long motions cease. 



[32] 



AT BREAK OF DAY 

Through dawn's soft mist I hear a bell 
Tolling the hour to all mankind; 
The scented fragrance of the morn 
Is brought to me upon the wind. 

The sparkling air Is like the mead 
That graced Olympus* banquet halls; 
Wild roses sway far up the brinks 
Of darting, foaming waterfalls. 

Crisp shadows sweep across the streams, 

By sunlit pools I meditate ; 

The past is dim, the future calm, 

I am at peace with Life and Fate. 

Above the murmurs of the day 
Comes drifting through the pines to me 
The laughter of a happy child — 
The keynote of unfettered glee. 

An elfin face amongst the green, 
A hurried cry of pure delight, 
I plunge Into the woodland maze — 
My lass has found her errant knight ! 



[33] 



TO THE FUTURE 

The quiet night, all clear and cool, 

Invades the world; a star 
Smiles soft on me; within a pool 

I see it from afar. 

This lily-pond, with rich incense 

Rising in the mists. 
Veils its placid depths with scents 

Like ancient alchemists. 

Shafts of moonlight pierce the rim 

Of this calm well of blue; 
They leave soft rays like flowers, dim. 

White-jeweled with drops of dew. 

A wind-song through the swaying pines 

Soothes my heart to rest; 
The fragrance from the lily-shrines 

Soars to the hillock crest. 

Alone, apart from toil and care, 
I sleep — to dream of thee. 

Our days to come, all golden fair — 
One through eternity ! 



[34] 



THE BLIND POET 

With all my heart and soul 

Have I tarried, 

With all my strength and mind, 

That I might glean, mayhap. 

From earth the full measure 

Of its joy that is due 

Each mortal placed thereon; 

Else, far along 

Would I have journeyed 

The pathway ending 

By the throne of God: 

Often I watch 

The river of my life 

As it curves and ripples 

Over stones, bending first 

To this side, then to that. 

But, alas, in midstream 

Stands a rock, 

Halting undercurrent. 

Parting waves — 

Impassive and immutable ! 

The force of water 

'Gainst this barrier rude 

Stirs and churns the limped flood 

To feathery foam. 

Lashes placed strips 

Of weeds and roots 

Into thongs more stinging 

[35] 



Than a curse ! 

The trees bend o'er this whirlpool 

Mocking me, with leaves outstretched 

Opening like a hand; 

Derision chokes the throats 

Of birds and beasts — 

Their raucous cries 

Swell the swirl of waters ; 

Jeering, madly shouting, 

Darting swiftly from the shore 

And circling near the rock, 

Telling all the world 

My darkened life ! 

When but a child, 
'Twas told to me the tale 
Of how my ancestors were brave, 
Were strong and to this country came 
For Freedom's sake. 
I heard of how all wants 
Were met, the trials 
That men and women bore 
That they might love their God 
The way they chose ; 
I listened long 
To all the deeds of prowess, 
Valor, strength — of splendid manhood 
And of tender womankind. 
But, as I see the rock 
That ever bars my way 

[36] 



To any hope of reaching forward -. — on, 

I seem to lose my courage 

And my strength sinks 

As in a stupor; 

All my life 

IVe never seen the sun, 

Nor any light 

To aid me on my way. 

I live in dusk, 

In Night's cool clasp; 

My only helping hand has been 

My dreams, both day and eve — 

In them I live the life 

Of other men who see. 

I strive to pierce the gloom 

And move the rock 

That halts my stream of life; 

Of no avail are my poor efforts. 

That stone, it must have been 

Placed there by the hand of God 

Himself, that I might know and heed 

His lesson of omnipotence. 

Of omniscience. 

But, He has also put into my care 

That gift, more precious 

Than the sight of men to me — 

The gift of dreams. 

And telling them to others I 



[3T] 



RE-CREATION 

The crimson moon swings low In a cloudless 

sky, 
Quivering In restless after-waves of heat. 
In a rhythmic night song, far away and sweet, 
The parched trees and faded grasses sigh; 
When lol Within the twinkling of an eye 
There pours a blinding mass of lightening 

fleet — 
Pure, heaven-sent rain descends to earth to 

meet 
Her dusty lips with dew from out the sky; 
When all my soul for want of love was 

seared. 
Then didst thou come with all thy tenderness 
And bade me live anew. Then disappeared 
All sorrow and that sense of loneliness 
Within my tuneless heart; for thou hast 

cheered 
And made me know the whole of happiness! 



[38] 



AN AFTERNOON 

PASTORALE 

The air all stilled, with purplish haze 
Envelops vales and hills, 
The throbbing song of the breeze is faint, 
The sea-damp round me chills. 

Fair Daytime glides more softly now, 
Singing to the sun. 
While into lavender twilight fresh 
She fades - — the day is done* 

The Earth, bent o'er with tired thoughts, 

Shades her eyes from the light; ^ 

She soothes her weary heart and sleeps. 

Adrift on the stream of Night. 



[39] 



REMINISCENCES 

The breath of a sandalwood fan 

Takes me many years back to Cathay; 

I think of a girl in Japan 

When wisteria blossoms in May. 

The sight of a Spanish mantilla 
Recalls one dark night in Madrid, 

When I sang and played softly until a 
Large, swarthy Spaniard forbid! 

I remember a pretty, wee madchen 
Who lived by the harbor of Kiel, 

I swore I'd ne'er forget Gretchen — 
For oh ! how that girl made me feel I 

At Calais we docked in the morning 
And this time 'twas one named Lenore I 

But she certainly served as a warning — 
She'd been married, well — three times 
before! 

From there, we then set sail for Dover, 
My word ! 'twas a wonderful sight ! 

Here, I lost my heart over and over — 
And I foolishly promised to write ! 

Now, thinking about those quaint places 
We stayed but a moment; the whirl 

My poor heart had over those faces — 
I forgot my American girl ! 
[40] 



THE SONG OF THE PADDLE 

O'er silver streams, like a ribbon 

Winding beneath the moon, 
Our lissom skiffs are gliding — 

Our paddles sing a tune 
Of the forest's calm enchantment 

As it lies adream, sublime, 
In the radiant midnight's glory 

At the end of summertime. 
The grim, staunch pine trees whisper 

On the luring banks of moss; 
The lighted waves of silver 

Bear us in their arms across 
The white-tipped lake ; and fairy isles 

Of woodland bowers lift 
Their dew-dripped leaves to heaven 

As to them we softly drift. 
Our paddles, with their tinkling touch. 

Plunge into gloom and light. 
They sing a song of the Northlands, 

Of Love and Love's delight. 
Thus on, and ever on, we go. 

Forgetting care and sorrow. 
For in this joy of pulsing life 

There's e'er a bright tomorrow I 



[41] 



MUSIC 



{Sempre, legato, pesante molto sostenuto.) 



Crescendo, 



Pensieroso. 



Ben legato. 



Let loose the mellow flood- 
gates 
Of the soul, 

And music, soft or eager, 
Will float forth, 
Depending on the inner moods 
For time, for rhythm and for 

tone. 
Oft when joy befalls us. 
Then the tune in roulade gay 
Bursts from the heart 
And colors every hour 
With laughter, song and mel- 
ody. 
When calm and hallowed 

thoughts 
Enfold us — lullabies. 
Deep echoes from the heart. 
Clear Lydian strains. 
Slow and pure. 

Surge round us, bringing peace 
And comfort that is past 
All human ken — 
Like that which cometh 
From the souls of those we 
loved 

[42] 



Through all the lives 
We've lived before; 
Con passione. On silver streams of music 

As the fragrant mist of in- 
cense 
Rises — filled with prayers — 
So let my heart's desires 
Mount to God I 



[43] 



THE SONG OF LIFE AND LOVE 

From far beyond the sunset* s gorgeous glow 
There comes, upon the twilight-softened 

wind, 
A song from out the radiant west, entwined 
With memories — a faint adagio 
Of smiles and tears, forgotten in the slow 
And measured canticle of Time. Behind 
The molten clouds, the melody, enshrined. 
Pours o'er my vibrant soul, sways to and fro. 
Until its mellow, truant echoes seem 
To roam the golden pathways of the past. 
Like the impassioned prelude of a stream. 
When sparkling springtime wakens Earth at 

last. 
The beauty of this song is like a dream 
Of bygone days that ne'er can be surpassed! 



[44.] 



THE CROSSROADS OF TIME 

Softly caressing the cedars, 

Blessing the mosses and ferns, 
The night mists rise in the eager air 

Where the starlight glistens and burns. 

Up on the purple highlands, 

Beneath the curving skies, 
A luring roadway through the west 

Enthralls my wistful eyes. 

In seared and gloomy dullness 

There leads another way, 
A narrow path that calls to me — 

I falter, but obey. 

Over this dim, bleak byway. 

Whether I wish it or no. 
Through the drab muteness of the world 

I force myself to go. 

But that which has once been given 

Can never be taken away. 
And such was the love that you gave to me 

At the close of one wonderful day. 

My dreams are fair, but rarer 
Are the memories, soft and true. 

Of a glance that thrilled my inmost soul 
As it came from the eyes of you. 
[46] 



It lights my dreary pathway, 

Its cheering echoes span 
The silence — aye, like that which was 

Ere ever the world began ! 



[*6] 



THE ANSWER 

It does not matter 
What I e'er have asked, 
You've answered me too well, 
Dear Heart, and yet 
I fain would have you put in words 
Those things the which 
No human language can express! 
The supple speech of the eternal gods 
Can ne'er encompass the glad sound 
Of your sweet voice. 
That thrills me 

With its rich and vibrant tone. 
E'en by a glance 

You've lifted me unto the heights. 
Where I have tasted heaven's bliss: 
Ah, Love — I know what next 
You would reply. 

As surely as the morning knows the sun I 
For I have read it 
In your shadowed eyes — 
Where lies the lavish beauty 
Of an angel's soul — 
And I have felt it 
In your close caress, 
Your clinging arms. 
And on your warm, soft lips. 
The dew-kissed roses 
Feel the same as I — 
[47] 



They share the world-old secret 

Now with me. 

I know your fervent answer well, 

But still — mine eyes are dimmed 

And I can think naught else 

Until I hear you say : 

" I love you, Dear.'* 



[48] 



AFTER 

Come! 

Beat upon the battle drums 

Of Time 

And lead us forward 

Through the years of war 

With quickening step ; 

That we may pass along 

The writhing road of Hate 

And out into the vale of Peace, 

Where vanquished lie the gods 

Of lust and greed, 

Whose vampire breaths have sucked 

The vital blood from out 

The trembling, weakened hearts 

Of all the world. 

Prepare the camp 

For myriad womenfolk 

Whose childrens' souls are blasted 

By the sight of murder — 

And the other unnamed crimes 

Too vile to print 

On history's blotted page. 

Prepare a refuge for the men 

Who lost the light of morning sun. 

And make a place for those young lives 

Who lost their faith 

In man, in God — in everything. 

In this mad war. 

[49] 



Then, when this vale 

At last is reached, 

And all the tired armies 

Of the world have come 

Unto their final camping ground 

For rest — a lasting peace 

Will live amongst the hosts — 

And Christ 

Will walk upon the earth again ! 



[60] 



JUNE SONG 

The million-tinted fields are gay 
With flowers, buds and grasses 
That cover all the hillsides and 
Embower dank morasses. 

O^erpetalled are the woods and vales 
By daisies, violets, mosses; 
A shaft of sunlight glinting, bright, 
The landscape fair embosses. 

The joy of living thrills the soul 
When June her charm discloses — 
Our hearts unfold and blossom in 
This month of love and roses 1 



[51] 



EXILES 

When Twilight fair disrobes and flings 

Her flaming garments to the west 

And lies, all-radiant, alluring, 

Within the close caress of Night — 

Then dost thou and I — alone. 

Wander o'er the moon-swept crest 

Of yonder fragrant knoll. In all 

This vibrant world of shade and light 

Naught seems to be save just us two; 

While through the dream-filled forest aisles 

We pass — into a wondrous land. 

So great, so vast, that we, exiles 

From all we ever lived or knew, 

Can scarce conceive or understand 

The deep enchantment waiting us. 

Without the portals of our realm. 

The sullen mockery of men 

Surges up to sadden us; 

Within the well locked gates — we laugh, 

We're free of man's soul-crushing yoke, 

We live and love — and laugh again I 

Through all our days the sun flares bright, 

The nights — more mellow as I quaff 

The wine of earthly paradise 

From out thy golden goblet rare, 

Replete with ravishments unborn. 

[52] 



Enmeshed within thy glowing hair, 
Held captive by thine eager eyes, 
I take thee for mine own — and scorn 
The sodden world beyond the stars! 



[53] 



ON A SUMMER NIGHT 

A MULTICOLORED garden sleeps, 
The branches gay are still, 
The only sound, a stream's soft song 
And the cry of the whippoorwill. 

The blossoms fold their splendor close, 
The world is all adream; 
Come thou, and share thy beauty with 
The moonlight's wondrous gleam. 



[54] 



THE SUNSET OF LIFE 

The heavens are stilled from the lull in the 

storm, 
So are we calm when the hush comes in life. 
Clouds of affection from memories old 
Conceal any emptiness, heartaches or strife. 
Stronger through weaknesses, wise we 

become 
As the sunset of life draws us nearer our 

home. * 



[65] 



SILENiCE 

(Suggested by a picture by F. S. Church.) 

The mummy's head 

Is seared and old 

And bound with wrappings 

Torn and thin; 

The eyes are closed 

And in a fold 

The cloth is worn 

Beneath the chin. 

A fresh young rose 
Is gently laid 
Upon the lips, 
Long still and cold, 
Its fragrance wasted 
And the shade 
Unnoticed by 
The mummy old. 

And all is silence 
As the rose 
Lies there upon 
The lips — the spell, 
The secret of 
The head, its pose 
Aye, who can e'er 
Divine or tell! 

[56] 



THE MOON 

Enchantress of the earth, 

Pale, silver goddess. 
Witch of the sighing waves — 

You reign supreme, 
With your phosphorescent scepter 

That dispels the limpid darkness 
Of an eerie night. 

Your supple, lissom sheen 
Invades the woods, the hills — 

And over all the seas 
A flood of quivering. 

Radiant moonbeams dance 
Like Grecian maidens 

On an ancient vase. 
Your power wanes 

As fast appears the day. 
But gracefully you drop the mantle 

That Dawn appropriates — 
And wears so well. 

Then, as the sunlight 
Fades away and dies. 

You resume your lambent throne 
And guide the waiting earth 

Until another day is come 
To speed us on the well-worn road 

Of time. 



[57] 



A DESERT RHAPSODY 

Far away from the glowing sands 
Comes a sigh of the siren breeze; 

I cannot hope to resist it 

As it calls me through the trees. 

This " wanderlust '' for the Arab lands 

Assails me sleeping, awake, 
And every thought is of that, from dawn 

Until the twilight opaque. 

Its golden glimmer lures me on. 

The long horizon enchants. 
The breadth and freedom inspires — 

I'm in love with its romance I 

Give me that desert at dim midnight, 
With the stars and moon above, 

With my campfire faintly burning. 
And ril tell you of my love. 

She is a wistful, sloe-eyed maid, 

With lips of a sunset hue, 
A skin as fair as a precious pearl's 

And the touch of her hand — like dew. 

Alas! She will not heed my pleas 
And I have wooed her in vain! 

(But just as an explanation — 
She inhabits my "castles in Spain"!) 
[68] 



SPEED MANIA 

Whirring^ lunging, 
Hurtling, plunging. 
Icy wind in my face ! 
Choking, gasping. 
Thin air rasping. 
Crushing me into place I 
Careening, dashing. 
Sweeping, crashing 
Over the ribbon-like track! 
Rushing, darting. 
Eyelids smarting, 
Speeding, maniac! 
Bounding, bowling, 
Spurting, rolling. 
Demon Speed at the wheel! 
Skimming, flying. 
Laws defying — 
Winning thrills to feel! 



[59] 



PHANTOMS 



THE DREAM 



My brain Is clouded by a fog, 
It blurs and dims the lights 
That otherwise are free and clear 
From such weird fancy-flights. 

I see the frail ghost of a sea 
That trembles on the strand, 
At the cold sea-edge It falters 
And sinks back from the land. 

The mingling tide and rustling beach 
Clash and surge In rage — 
The phantom of a ship I see 
Upon a pilgrimage. 

Her ghastly rigging's flapping loose. 
Hanging In the breeze. 
Deserted by the master hands 
That sailed her o'er the seas. 

The sky Is full of chilly clouds, 
The air Is choked with spray, 
I hear the gray wind moaning 
As It lashes o'er the bay. 



[60] 



An eerie moon o'ershlnes it all, 
The rocks, in bold relief 
Against a sodden, murky sea. 
Surround a jagged reef. 

How pale and mystic all the world 
Seems as the silver light 
Is trodden down by Phoebus' feet, 
Who conquers over Night. 



THE AWAKENING 

When golden gleam the sunny shafts 
Upon this phantom sea, 
I find these things were ghosts indeed 
That seemed so real to me ! 



[61] 



THE FLOWERS OF FATE 

The world, serene, majestic, holds 

Two brilliant blossoms of life in her lap; 

Within their flowery petal-folds 

Are pleasures, pain or grief, mayhap. 

With fragrant chalice, a jasmine pure, 

Cool and fresh in the evening dew, 

Lies waiting in the dusk obscure 

For me to choose or take, in lieu, 

A rose, full-fashioned by the sun, 

Warm-scented and of crimson touch — 

Life lets me choose to take the one 

Or other, each may please me much. 

If I but take the jasmine's heart. 

My life will glide like a mystic spell; 

If I take the rose — deep pain, the dart 

Of Love and bliss no tongue can tell! 

'Tis a vivid question, sacred and deep, 

A peace or a passion that blooms and grows; 

The flower of bliss and pain I'll keep — 

I take from the lap of Life — the rose ! 



[62] 



THE ETERNAL MELODY 

The woodland brook sings to the ferns 

Of forest lands and lights, 
The birds call softly to their mates 

In soaring, circling flights. 

The rose breathes to the listening earth 

Of happiness and love — ■ 
The moon enchants the white sea waves 

From her silver throne above. 

When In your love-begetting eyes 

I gaze, as o'er the stream 
A fern bends low, I see your soul 

As if 'twere in a dream. 

Our hearts blend Into one sweet chord. 

Held through eternity — 
Two notes that, wedded, sound as one 
In God's great rhapsody! 



[63] 



TO THEE 

When first I saw thee 

And beheld thy face, 

Meseems I ne'er had seen 

Another fairer; 

Then, when soft lights I found 

Within the meshes of thine eyes 

Mine heart was all transformed; 

For thou hast come 

Forever afterward to me, In dreams, 

A glowing, perfect, sunset-tinted rose, 

Whose luscious fragrance wafts 

Like incense, rare. 

Across the flaming altar 

Of my life! 



[64] 



NOVEMBER 

The year is old and withered, 
The trees all gaunt and bare, 
Summer is sadly vanishing — 
Keen winds cut the air. 

The thick waves lash their fury 
Upon the weary shore, 
The piercing shrieks of sea-birds join 
The maddened ocean's roar. 

Wide fields are seared and frosty, 
The heavens, pale and wan. 
Bend o'er me filled with moanings, while 
Black thunder rages on. 

Bright summer is but now a myth, 
Both fair and winsome, too — 
For Nature has her golden dreams 
The same as I and you. 



[65] 



THE CALL 

From out the winding valley of the past 

Come faintly songs of lilies on the breeze ; 
Then, like an echo surging through the trees, 

I hear the luring river in this vast 
And mighty chasm. For I have, at last. 

Forgotten all of Life's demands and pleas 
That I might e^en return from o'er the seas 

To where a love that ne'er can be sur- 
passed 
Lies buried, covered o'er with blossoms pink. 

Near Lethe's stream the lilies softly sway. 
While guarding my dead hopes beside its 
brink; 

And so, I heed their call — I must obey ! 



[66] 



THE MUSIC OF THE WORLD 

What low song is sung to the hills 
By the hovering, sibilant breeze? 

And what is the message read by the sky 
In the sun's rays, warm through the trees? 

Who knows the swift waves' love for the 
land. 

Or the day's cool delight in the morn? 
Who hears the song in a streamlet's rills, 

Or the secrets of ages unborn? 

Who hears the smooth, sweet call of May 
As she sings to the budding trees? 

Or the voices of stars in the heavens above 
To the onward-winging seas? 

If all your heart is filled with love 

And all your days are glad. 
You'll hear this music of the world 

Where'er you go, my lad. 



[67] 



SUPPOSE 

Suppose the world were dying 

And the woods had lost their music; 

Suppose the sky too dark, too overcast 

To light the eyes of man or beast; 

What then? 

Aye then — though all the hills and vales 

But shadows be, and all the seas 

But fearful, yawning wastes, 

My heart would falter not. 

Nor my hands grope blindly for support; 

My soul could pierce 

This somber depth of gloom, 

For one small beckoning beacon-spark 

Of the fire of spring 

Would wind its way before me — 

Because my heart and soul believeth 

That Love is all I 



[68] 



SOMEWHERE 

Somewhere in this sunlit world, 

In the smile of a gentle rain, 
In the soothing call of a soft wind's trill, 

Is God's promise of life again. 



[69] 



SOLILOQUY 

The old moon shines 
On fresh-formed dreams, 
The old moon glows 
On newborn flowers, 
Yet man believes 
That Time, when dying. 
Takes with him all 
The sweet, past hours. 

But still the old years, 
Their keen pleasures, 
Fill our lives; 
Old joys, the past. 
Outlive our span 
Of life, and memory 
Keeps us young 
Until the last. 



UO] 



AT EVENSONG 

On the wondrous wings of even 

Comes a rich and solemn strain 
From the mellow organ, playing 

In the chapel down the lane. 
How oft I've stood outside and heard 

Those reverent, splendid, holy airs; 
My weary heart found peace and rest 

And joined the upward-winging prayers! 
Those few and tender words of comfort 

Uttered there at evensong 
And the gorgeous notes of music. 

Helped my weak faith to grow strong. 



[Ti] 



YOUR QUESTION 

You ask the measure of my love? 

I answer — prithee tell 

How many beats of a faithful heart 

Will all your doubts dispel? 

How many times do I love thee, then? 

This, my answer will show — 

Count the gleams in a summer rain 

And then you will surely know! 



[72] 



REQUIEM 

As thou liest there in sleep 
(Ah, do not call it death!, — 
The name instills a horror drear) 
Meseems I feel thy breath. 

'Tis but the fancy of my heart, 
For thou art chill, serene; 
Thy dear face bears a smile for me 
Such as I've often seen. 

Would that I might keep thee, dear. 
As near as now thou art; 
Instead, the breast of Nature claims 
The haven of my heart. 

Where'er thou art, I feel assured 
Thou wilt remember me. 
And I shall find sweet comfort, dear. 
In going soon to thee. 



[73] 



ALLAH 

(Written after reading "Al Koran.") 

I AM All that mortals know — 

Belief and the Believer; 

When mourners pray, I am the Prayer, 

The Grief and yet the Griever. 

To me all things are known and plain, 

Morn and eve are one; 

I am distant and yet near — 

I'm Shadows and the Sun! 

I am the Doer and the Deed, 

The Giver and the Gift; 

Who dares refute my solemn Word 

Or any censure lift? 

My Power sways from sea to sea, 

My might is like the sand; 

My Glory like the rainbow stretched 

From flying waves to land. 

Let none incur my mighty Wrath, 

Let none stand unafraid — 

For I am Sovereign — I am All 

That's ever wrecked or made! 



[74] 



JUST YOU 

Entwined with gentle Twilight's 

Quiet shades, 

That in yon placid depths 

Are mirrored far, 

Thy voice floats out 

Upon the sparkling wind; 

The radiance from thine eyes 

Is like a star 

Emblazoned on the altar cloth 

Of Night; 

E*en to thy warm-sweet lips 

Can be compared the softness 

Of the quivering east at dawn. 

The glittering memories, 

Fresh and lambent, 

Of deep longings 

And the dream-song of thine heart - 

Aye, thou hast all encompassed 

Fully in the mad mosaic 

Of thy wondrous love! 



[75] 



A TRIBUTE 

TO MRS. E. H. SOTHERN 

Far greater bards than I 

Have often vied, 
Each with the other, 

To extol the charm. 
The mellow magic 

Of thy vibrant voice. 
I prithee bear with me 

Whilst I do add 
Mine humble scroll 

Unto the volumes, vast, 
That e'er bepraise thy name. 

For when thou didst live 
As " Bonny Kate " or '' Juliet," 

As '' Rosalind " or " Portia "— 
Aye, meseems thy voice 

Was like unto a coronet 
Of melody adorning Thespis' brow: 

Pouring o'er my eager, waiting heart, 
'Twas like the fragrant, 

Mystic, southern wind. 
Sun-drenched and perfumed; 

Like all my rarest dreams 
Of moon-swept, pulsing nights 

In Arcadyl 



[76] 



MY WISHES 

FOR MOTHER 

May all the winds sing to you 

And ever bring to you 

Love from my heart, now that you are gone ; 

May their sighs through the grasses 

Tell you who passes 

Whene'er I am near, be it twilight or dawn. 

May raindrops be soft for you, 

Come for me oft to you 

Wet with my tears, now you are no more; 

May the sun always follow 

With lark and with swallow 

To comfort us both and to gild our grief o'er. 

May flowers e'er bloom for you, 

Dispelling the gloom for you. 

Telling you, dear, when the day's on the 

wane. 
Of my dreams of our gladness 
When all this vast sadness 
Is ended and we are together again! 



[77] 



THE FLOWERS OF TIME 

A LULLABY 

Sleep, my Little One, 'neath the stars, 

While lotus-blossoms sway 
And dance their way across the moon 

Until the dawn of day. 
Of softest, mellow silver sands 

My baby's bed is made, 
And for a shimmering coverlet 

The wings of Night are laid. 

The flowers of Time are opening fast, 

Each fragrant hour holds 
A dream for thee close-hidden in 

Their brimming petal-folds. 
So sleep, my Little One, *neath the stars 

While lotus-blossoms sway 
And dance their way across the moon 

Until the dawn of day. 



[78] 



REST 

The somber night Is filled with sounds 
All sweetly faint beneath the moon; 

The scented call of a pine-swept breeze 
Lulls me to dream with a haunting tune. 

The rhythm of the branches* swing 

Beckons me to stay and rest, 
And leads me from the sunset-lure 

To a fragrant, moss-bound mountain crest. 

A tired heart seeks solace there, 
A weary soul finds comfort deep, 

Forgotten are the world's demands 
When I am close enwrapped in sleep. 



[79] 



THE HILL O' DREAMS 

Yon far, majestic mountain heights, 

As seen through mystic Northern Lights, 

Thrill all my soul with wonder deep. 

For in their pathless forests leap 

The icy springs that grow to streams 

And course adown the hill o* dreams. 

The romance-woven lights and shades 
Enmesh the woodland. Serenades 
Of winging lark and swallow fleet 
Mingle with the brooks' heart-beat; 
I linger when the mountains call. 
For oh, the vastness of it all! 

O'er crag and boulder daylight glints, 
And in the valley finger prints 
Of God's fair hand show where the sun 
Has kissed the earth e'er day was done; 
The vales and hills now dimly blend 
As soft mists rise from end to end. 

When twilight comes from out the west 
The moon close presses to her breast 
The tired earth. And like a child 
That in a peaceful sleep has smiled. 
The weary world is bright with dreams — 
The only sound — the mountain streams! 

[80] 









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